Quarrying and the environment

Introduction | Landscape |  Planning controls | Water and caves | Dust, noise and traffic | Blasting | Nature conservation

Nature conservation

Not all quarrying is necessarily environmentally negative. For example, many geological and biological SSSIs have been effectively created or enhanced by quarrying, given careful management and often, passage of time. This may be particularly advantageous where land would otherwise have been devoted to inaccessible monoculture; quarrying can increase both bio- and geodiversity. The planning permission at Asham Wood was given up as part of an agreement to extend Whatley Quarry, and the nature reserve at Asham Wood has now been extended to cover parts of the former quarry which is now regenerating. In some cases quarrying has provided recreational facilities, e.g. diving centres at Vobster and Waterlip, or facilitated access to some local cave systems.

Former quarries have also been or could be used for a variety of purposes, e.g. equipment testing (formerly) at Chelmscombe and Vobster, concrete product manufacture at Westdown, Tor Hill and Emborough, light industry at Waterlip and Bilbao and waste recycling at Dulcote. Water storage may be another option.